At present, the stacking of bottles, such as soft drink polyteraftalate (PET) bottles, is accomplished by arranging on a pallet a number of plastic containers having compartments to receive the lower part of such bottles. For example, an arrangement of ten containers, each receiving eight bottles, is placed on a pallet. Then, a second row of ten bottle-receiving containers is positioned on the first row, the bottom wall of each bottle-receiving compartment of a container being shaped to sit on caps or mouths of the bottles located therebeneath. Once four rows of bottles are stacked, a second pallet is positioned on the upmost row. In order to protect the bottles of the last row, it is the usual practice to place, on top of some of the bottles of the last row, empty inverted containers so that the pallet being then positioned sits on the bottom faces of these inverted containers.
It has been found that these inverted plastic containers, not being made for this particular use, often break.